Welcome to the final installment of our THRIVE Global Impact Challenge series by SVG Ventures | THRIVE. In this series, we’ve explored the five critical themes shaping a sustainable future. Today, we focus on the pressing issues of food security and waste reduction.

In 2022, 2.4 billion people faced moderate or severe food insecurity. This staggering number is compounded by the fact that globally, 145 billion meals are wasted annually. Shockingly, 20% of all food produced is lost or wasted worldwide, and in the US alone, this figure escalates to 30-40%. Food loss occurs throughout the entire supply chain, from farm to fork. From drying and milling to transport and processing, food is vulnerable to insects, rodents, birds, mold, and bacteria. Environmental factors such as drought, extreme weather, and heat can also impact food availability. Improper storage temperatures further exacerbate the problem. Consumers also contribute significantly by buying more than they can eat.

To increase global food security, we need a variety of solutions addressing each stage of the food chain, minimizing loss and maximizing what reaches our plates. This is the only way to bridge the gap between food production and hunger.

Addressing On-Farm Losses

In the US, 16% of food waste occurs right at its source: on farms. This loss stems from strict cosmetic standards set by buyers, pest attacks, and inadequate storage or refrigeration facilities. Fortunately, innovators are developing solutions to tackle these issues. Digital tools are revolutionizing farm operations, allowing for more precise data collection and analysis. Sensors can track soil moisture and nutrient levels to optimize yield conditions and ensure plants grow adequately. Automated harvesting machines can navigate farms more efficiently and reduce damage. Advanced sorting technologies can identify and quickly separate produce that doesn’t meet the appropriate standards. Other solutions, such as precise insecticide spraying and automated weed removal further contribute to improving yield conditions and reducing input costs. Finally, on-farm storage ensures food stays fresh right after harvesting. 

Improving Transportation Efficiency

Transportation plays a crucial role in the food supply chain, and inefficiencies here can lead to significant food losses. Innovations in logistics, including better route planning, real-time tracking and monitoring, and temperature-controlled transportation help ensure that food reaches its destination in optimal condition. By reducing transit times and maintaining ideal conditions, we can minimize spoilage and waste, ensuring more food makes it from farms to consumers’ tables.

Maximizing Shelf-Life

Extending the shelf-life of food products is essential to reducing waste. Advanced packaging technologies, natural preservatives, and innovative storage solutions help keep food fresh for longer periods. Companies are developing smart packaging that monitors the freshness of food, as well as treatments that slow down the ripening process. These innovations ensure that food remains safe and nutritious for a longer time, reducing the likelihood of items being discarded prematurely.

Optimizing Retail Management

Retailers are key players in the fight against food waste. By implementing better inventory management systems, stores can reduce overstocking and understocking, ensuring that products are sold before they spoil. Dynamic pricing strategies, where prices are adjusted based on the remaining shelf-life of products, and donation programs for unsold food can also significantly reduce waste. Retailers are increasingly adopting these practices to ensure that more food reaches consumers instead of landfills.

Empowering Consumers to Reduce Food Waste

US households discard an estimated 6.2 cups of edible food every week, according to a 2023 survey. This waste puts an unnecessary strain on our food systems. Fortunately, innovative solutions are empowering individuals to reduce food waste. These include discount apps for soon-to-expire items, inventory management and recipe apps, and AI-driven food consumption prediction apps.

Thrive’s Partner Initiatives

• Driscoll’s ensures that the cold chain isn’t broken by sending their berries to coolers right after harvesting. They also have a Berry Innovator test that ensures all of their berries have the best shelf life that consumers find in stores.
• Bayer is addressing food loss before harvest by applying data analytics and GPS tracking technologies to their operations. These work to improve shipping routes and reduce transit times for seed shipments.
• ICL is at the forefront of the global effort to combat world hunger and is making a substantial impact on food security, feeding approximately 400 million people every day. As a key player in fertilizer production for agriculture and specialty solutions used in the food industry, ICL significantly contributes to nutritional security by enhancing agricultural output, improving food quality, and extending shelf life.
• Intel has joined forces with SVG Ventures THRIVE and Texas A&M to address food and nutrition security by accelerating controlled environment agriculture solutions (CEA). Specifically, they aim to improve food security in food deserts in Texas, since these regions have amplified due to unprecedented storms in the region

Innovative Startups Reducing Food Waste

Hundreds of startups have emerged to address the dual challenge of increasing food security and reducing food waste. The below startups were finalists in the 2023 Global Impact Challenge for their innovative work in improving our food system. 

• Tric Robotics is helping farmers control pests and disease using ultraviolet light as an alternative to chemical pesticides.
• Birdsol Pty is an innovative global AgTech company with a patented and novel avian deterrent and wildlife management technology based on an integrated AI system, called Cherrp.
• LiVA Bio more than doubles fresh-produce shelf-life, using patented pre-biotic inserts applied to the packaging for less than $0.02 per insert.
• Ac-Planta tackles climate change disasters, in particular food and water crises by utilizing epigenetics that enhance a plants resilience towards drought and heat.
• Krilltech offers green physiological nanoboosters that increase crop productivity, quality, and resistance by assisting in plant metabolism.
• AirSmat empowers African farmers with tech for higher yields, sustainability, and climate resilience an aims to transform agriculture for a brighter future.
• mesur.io is shaping how modern information companies compete by creating a new standard for risk intelligence, and delivers the most comprehensive real-time view of supply chain risk and trade compliance.

Every solution, while markedly different, shows how we can solve this complex issue with multiple different technologies at every stage of the supply chain. 

Join the 2024 THRIVE Global Impact Challenge

This year, for our 2024 THRIVE Global Impact Challenge, we are looking for the most groundbreaking startups working to reduce food waste. If you’re a startup working on increasing food security, or if you know someone who works in this sector, we invite you to apply here.

Attend the 2024 THRIVE Global Impact SummitIf you want to learn more and participate in conversations with AgTech leaders about soil health and biodiversity, check out the 2024 THRIVE Global Impact Summit, with early-bird tickets still on sale here.